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Help Wanted
"Help Wanted" is the pilot episode of SpongeBob SquarePants, and as such, it is also the first segment of the very first episode. Synopsis A narrator with a French accent introduces SpongeBob SquarePants, an anthropomorphic sea sponge who, as stated in the theme song, lives in a pineapple under the sea. SpongeBob wakes up and tells his pet snail, Gary, that he must be in good shape because today is an important day for him - he's going to apply for the job of fry cook at the Krusty Krab. As he approaches the restaurant, SpongeBob briefly loses his confidence, but his best friend, Patrick Star, cheers him on. Squidward Tentacles, the Krusty Krab's head cashier who happens to be SpongeBob and Patrick's neighbor, is cleaning the window when he sees that SpongeBob wants the job. Frightened by this idea, he tells the restaurant's owner, Eugene H. Krabs, that SpongeBob is not qualified for the job. When SpongeBob walks in to apply for the job, Mr. Krabs tells SpongeBob that he can join the "Krusty Krew" if he passes a "test", in which he has to obtain a "Hydrodynamic Spatula with Port and Starboard Attachments and a Turbo-Drive" (essentially sending SpongeBob on a form of snipe hunt), believing that there is no such thing and that SpongeBob will never come back trying to find it. As soon as SpongeBob leaves, five buses drop off a large crowd of hungry Anchovies. They barge into the Krusty Krab, demanding Krabby Patties. Attempting to keep things in order, Squidward complains about their behavior, then requests that there be a single-file line in front of the cash register. But the anchovies angrily protest, forming a riot of angry anchovies set to resemble a stormy sea. This forces Squidward and Mr. Krabs to climb up the "mast". Just in the nick of time, though, SpongeBob returns with his "hydrodynamic spatula with port and starboard attachments and a turbo-drive" (according to SpongeBob, the Barg'n Mart only had one in stock). Mr. Krabs is flabbergasted at the fact that SpongeBob actually passed the "test." SpongeBob flies into the kitchen and as fast as he can, satisfies the needs of the angry anchovies with huge streams of Krabby Patties. Delighted at SpongeBob's performance, Mr. Krabs hires him, much to Squidward's disdain. Squidward tries to protest this, but Mr. Krabs does not listen to him because he wants to go and count the huge money he just made in his office. At the end, Patrick walks in and asks for a Krabby Patty. SpongeBob races into the kitchen and makes a huge stream of Krabby Patties which hit Patrick and send him flying out of the restaurant. Production Development While pitching the cartoon to Nickelodeon executives, Hillenburg donned a Hawaiian shirt, brought along an “underwater terrarium with models of the characters”, and Hawaiian music to set the theme. The setup was described by Nick executive Eric Coleman as "pretty amazing". When given money and two weeks to write the pilot episode (“Help Wanted”), Derek Drymon, Stephen Hillenberg, and Nick Jennings returned with, described by Nickelodeon official Albie Hecht, “a performance wish had on tape”. Although described as stressful by executive producer Derek Drymon, the pitch went “very well”; Kevin Kay and Hecht had to step outside because they were “exhausted from laughing”, making the cartoonists worried. SpongeBob SquarePants aired its first episode, "Help Wanted / Reef Blower / Tea at the Treedome," on May 1, 1999, following the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. The series later made its "official" debut on July 17, 1999 with the second episode "Bubblestand / Ripped Pants." Animation This pilot was made and recorded in 1997, so it has many differences to the rest of the series. However, the original version of the episode had many other minor differences corrected later. For example, this is the only episode where SpongeBob's bed is on the right (excluding Pickles and Employee of the Month), and his blanket is solid blue, as opposed to purple with flowers. Differences in voices are another example. SpongeBob's voice is slightly lower and Patrick's is deeper. Designs and colors are also different. For example, SpongeBob has fewer holes than in newer episodes, Mr. Krabs’ eyelids are bright pink opposed to red, Patrick's pants are in a slightly different color, Squidward's complexion is paler, his laugh is different, the comedic “splat” sound is different, and his nose does not puff in and out when he laughs. Gary's eye pupils are red dots and his irises are smaller, he lacks eyelashes, and he has a lower tone of voice in the “meow” (although Tom Kenny claims to use a new “meow” for each episode). Squidward also appears to have rows of bamboo poles behind his house. Differences in SpongeBob's house are also present in this episode, but not in others, such as there is only one window in the front. Also, SpongeBob and Patrick are a little bit fatter. Also, SpongeBob's alarm clock has a different ship horn sound than his alarm clock in later episodes. The changes were made when the series officially aired. Home video releases ;DVD * SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete 3rd Season (included as a bonus feature) * SpongeBob SquarePants: 10 Happiest Moments (included as a bonus feature) * SpongeBob SquarePants: The First 100 Episodes * SpongeBob SquarePants: SpongeBob, You're Fired! * SpongeBob SquarePants: The Pilot a Mini-Movie and the Square Shorts Trivia *In the 2002 movie Orange County, Jack Black's character Lance is seen watching and laughing at this episode. *SpongeBob had a pet scallop that he kept in a birdcage. It can also be seen in "Missing Identity" and "Pineapple Fever." *Normally, when SpongeBob walks, his shoes make a squeaky sound. However, in this episode, it cannot be heard. *This is one of the six episodes in which the 1986 Paramount Pictures logo is plastered with the 2002 Paramount Pictures logo. The others are "Squeaky Boots", "F.U.N.", "Squidward the Unfriendly Ghost", "Employee of the Month" and "Rock Bottom". *This episode was ranked #29 and #17 in The 100 Greatest Nicktoon Episodes countdown. Errors *Stephen Hillenburg's name in the "Written By" section of the title card was incorrectly spelled as "Stephen Hilleburg". *In the Krusty Krab, all doors to the left of the cash register aren't there. When Mr. Krabs goes to his office, he goes to the right. *Gary's eye pupils are red dots, but in later episodes they are black dots in red dots. *The last time SpongeBob says "I'm ready", his collar turns red. *When Patrick convinces SpongeBob to go back and ask for a job, if one looks closely, one can see brush strokes. *Squidward cleans up the graffiti which has an arrow on it, but in the next scene, the arrow is missing. It is not likely that Squidward cleaned it up since he was looking at SpongeBob at the time. *When Mr. Krabs jumps every time he says "Hip, hip!" his white undershirt disappears for less than a second. In Other Languages Title Cards HelpWantedCantonese.png|Help Wanted in Cantonese HelpWantedFrench.png|Help Wanted in French HelpWantedGerman.png|Help Wanted in German HelpWantedHebrew.png|Help Wanted in Hebrew HelpWantedMacedonian.png|Help Wanted in Macedonian External links * * * Help Wanted at TV.com fr:Bienvenue à bord Category:Series pilots Category:Series premieres